Heartland - by Jilanne Hoffmann (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Out of the Dust meets Me and Marvin Gardens in this coming-of-age novel about a young misfit searching for the truth of her family's past, set against the backdrop of an environmental cover-up.

Twelve-year-old Xyla is sick of two things: working on her family's sixth-generation Iowa farm and her mother's nagging words, "Pay attention!" But Xyla can't help getting lost in the thoughts that fill her head, which sometimes leaves a wake of costly mistakes. If only her mom would tell her something--anything--about her dad, who left when she was little. Then maybe she could run away to live with him.

Xyla's world gets even messier as a new family begins renting a vacant house on the farm, and the daughter is the kind of kid Xyla's mom clearly prefers--focused and motivated. But when the girls stumble across an environmental disaster right next door, Xyla must learn to trust her new friend and her own complicated mother to figure out how to stop it.

Told in alternating timelines between the past and present, this heartfelt story brings to life a funny, hopeful, unforgettable narrator as she unravels the mysteries of her family and farm.

Review Quotes

"Multifaceted and beguiling.... Xyla's sincere, zany personality stands out in this exuberant novel, making her a perfect protagonist for readers who are trying to embrace their own quirks."--Shelf Awareness

"A warmly genuine and starkly accurate rural environmental story."--Kirkus Reviews

"Told in both poetry and prose, Hoffmann toggles between events in the past and present and quickly immerses readers into the twisty and insistent mind of Xyla.... A nuanced portrait of a tween aspiring to find herself in a deeply complex world." --Booklist

"This is an illuminating exploration of the enduring impact of past decisions on future generations."--Publishers Weekly

* "Hoffman beautifully blends the stories of Xyla, a character readers will fall in love with, and her mother's diary. The focus on rural farming, the farm crisis of the late 1980s, and the impact of factory farming today highlights an important environmental justice concern as well.... Highly recommended."--School Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Jilanne Hoffmann is the author of A River of Dust, which was an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Bank Street Best Book, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, and The Ocean's Heart, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. She has a degree in engineering and an MFA in writing and codirected San Francisco's Kidquake for eight years. Jilanne lives in San Francisco with her family and invites you to visit her online at jilannehoffmann.com.